Radio navigation for western Md. airport assured

OAKLAND — A Garrett County official says private aircraft using outmoded radio navigation equipment will still be able to use Garrett County Airport despite the shutdown of a local radio beacon to make way for a wind farm.

The Cumberland Times-News reported Wednesday that nearby Morgantown, West Virginia, Municipal Airport will provide an approach navigational signal to Garrett County Airport.

Public Works Director Jay Moyer says the change will allow older planes that are not equipped with GPS to still use radio navigation. Both types of systems enable pilots to find a runway in foul weather.

Moyer says the Federal Aviation Administration will decommission the Garrett County radio beacon to avoid interference from the nearby Fourmile Ridge wind farm, a 16-turbine project planned by Chicago-based Exelon Corp.